Since the unemployment release of 10.2% on November 6, virtually all economic releases have been modestly positive and the late reporting companies have had strong results (including revenues) and strong guidance.  So why has the market been going up and down on a daily basis over the past week?

Last week, the market was very selective, with only Large-cap Growth in positive territory -- think Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), Amazon (Nasdaq:  AMZN), and American Express (NYSE: AXP). All other cap/styles were negative -- and the smaller you were, the more you lost. In fact, this entire month the market has beat up on small-caps with its "the smaller you are, the more you lose" bias.

by David Brown, Chief Market Strategist, Sabrient Systems

David Brown

The market spent the month of August in a fog of mixed and contradictory economic results, often moving up on negative news and down on positive news.  Last week was no exception, and it's doubtful whether we'll get any improved visibility this week, either.